The Curse Of The Mummy
by DPrentice
Summary: Somewhere buried deep under the ruins of Kul Elna lies a secret about a once treacherous priest and a soon-to-be queen. With the help of an intelligent thief, can Marik uncover this secret and perhaps his own? DISCONTINUED
1. Prologue

**A/N: Hey all! This is pretty much a test run to see if you guys enjoy it. I'm co-writing it with my sister as the movie it's baised off is her favourite. I may sneak a little thiefshipping in if you absolutely want, but for now it'll be non-yaoi.**

**Disclaim ownership** **to** **Kazuki Takahashi**

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><p><strong>Prologue<strong>

It was just his luck. Running into trouble was his specialty and the land he's found himself in was no exception to that rule. After twelve years of research and dead-ends, he'd found it. Kul Elna, where legends are buried deep within the sands, lost in time. He'd love to extract the treasures residing in the inner sanctum of this plain. Problem was, people were currently shooting at him.

It was an army of about one hundred men, all on horseback. Although the numbers were minuscule, it looked massive compared to his thirty hired troops. They were currently running full force at the small band of men surrounding the entrance to the village and the white-haired man situated in the centre wasn't happy. Not in the slightest. About ten of his men had already retreated and now it was down to luck. Luck that will hopefully get him out of there safely.

The man on his left, a young American boy was shaking like a twig. He was well known throughout these parts as a coward and the man knew it from experience.

"Are you with me this time Joey?" the gruff English accented voice of the man asked, expecting the answer to be of his satisfactory. The boy in question, Joey, nodded his head feverishly, too scared to answer with words. He knew he might die and wasn't willing to go without getting something in return.

The horses were gaining on the band and Joey finally lost his cool, not seeing the point in this charade any longer. He got up from his post and bolted into the village as fast as his cowardly legs could take him. This did not impress the man in the slightest as he watched the treacherous boy go. He muttered a quick "Bastard" at his retreating back and then turned his attention to the problem at hand.

The army was closing in fast and the man decided it was time to call the order.

"FIRE!" he shouted to his men and guns from either side of him exploded in cannon fodder. They were no match against the army and their ammunition was running out, fast. He killed about ten men before they hit the frontline of the boundary they boarded themselves in and he backed away just in time as a soldier on the back of a black stallion pounded the ground where he had crouched in.

Backing away whist shooting, the man noticed that he and his companions were being forced backward towards the ruined village.

"Fuck!" he exclaimed, noticing his rifle was dry. Still backwards running he cross-drew two handguns, killing another four men that were gaining on him. Unfortunately the guns ran out fast and he had to draw yet another two guns from his hip hoisters. Running out of bullets for yet the third time, he ran into Joey. Literally. Joey managed to stand up first and ran towards an opened doorway with a large stone door beside it. He made it inside and was in the process of closing said door as the cries of the man, now on his feet bolting towards the opening called out.

"Don't you dare close that door!" he shouted. But Joey still continued, unfazed.

"Don't you dare close that fucking door!" he shouted again, but he reached the entrance too late. Joey had already closed the door and was on his way to freedom. He growled.

"Let me rephrase my last statement, Joseph Wheeler is a dead bastard next time I see him." He then noticed he was surrounded. He sighed, "If I live that is."

He then saw one of Joeys pistols skewed on the ground near his foot. He smirked, finding the opportunity he'd been after. Picking up the gun on his way, the man ran across the sandy surface, jumping over up-turned pillars and dodging bullets as he went. Unfortunately he missed one of the stoned landscapes and tripped, dropping the gun in the process. He tried to pick it up, but it became a problem as gunfire erupted around it. Forgetting the gun, he stood back up and ran as fast as he could before the men caught up with him.

Sand was embedding itself everywhere as he struggled to find freedom, the sun making his ivory skin red and sweaty. Finally he came to a dead end and turned to prepare himself for the pain that will eventually come. Five men a lined themselves up for the final blow and the man squinted his eyes, praying that something, anything will relieve him of this fate.

He waited about twenty seconds and nothing happens. Opening his eyes slowly he noticed that the men had vanished from sight. Confused, he looked around for something that might have scared them off, but came up with nothing. Grinning at the luck he's received, he started to make his leave from the dreadful place. A sudden gust of wind stopped him in his tracks. A large pile of sand spewed upward towards him, startling him from his standing point. Running to a place away from the wild sand, he turned to see that a face had edged itself into the smooth surface. Visibly shaken, the white-haired man hijacked it out of the creepy dead ruins and into the awaiting desert. He convinced himself that he was probably hallucinating from exhaustion.

The man pushed himself out into the desert, angry in his struggles and in his efforts. He knew that the remaining army are laughing at him from the sandy hilltop, but he was too exhausted to care.

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><p>Meanwhile, up on the hillside a man rapped in black cloth stared at the man walking further into the sandy abyss. He was head of the clan in charge of keeping Kul Elnas secret away from the peeping eyes of the ones desperate to find it. Atem Mubarak his name was and all his life he has guarded this 'lost city'.<p>

"Sir, the city remains untouched." One of his soldiers said, breaking him out of his train of thought.

"The soldiers want to know if you wish to kill the man." He finished.

"No" Atem replied in a deep baritone. "The desert will do that for us." He looked back towards the now sun-burnt mans back with an almost smug look. The man turned his back to lock eyes with the black clothed man and gave him a smirk. Atem was surprised at the man courage, no-one could be walking into their defeat and still look smug about it.

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><p>Bakura Touzoku let out a bark of laughter at the look on the mans face. Yes a battle had been lost today, but in the end, he was still free and now had the key too. As soon as he makes up more arms, he'll return, with or without the stupid curse.<p>

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><p><strong>AN: So tell me what you think! R&R!**


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: Well finally an update! Thanks to my reviewers and I promise to make sure the wait isn't as long for the next update. Enjoy!**

**Info to know:**

**Hikari Marik= Marik**

**Yami Marik= Malik  
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><p><strong>The Key<strong>

**3 Years Later…**Luxor Museum ****

"Crash! Bang!"

"Oh friggen hell!"

"Boom! Wham!"

"Ah crap, that hurt!"

Marik Ishtar was currently struggling. Struggling with what, you ask? Well let's just say he was a little…..tied up and no not in that regard you perverted people! What I'm trying to say is that Marik, the guy cursing, had been given a most strenuous job to do. One that involved sorting and organising a very elaborate library that contained millions upon millions of artefact files and ancient history books. The reason this young Egyptian male was struggling with such a simply described task was that there were currently a hell of a lot of boxes scattered about the place and Marik, ever the clumsy one, liked to trip over a lot of them.

The blond-haired man was currently sprawled out on the red carpeted ground, trying to rid himself of a tangled mess of cords he'd found himself stuck around. The cord was caught around his waist, his neck and his legs, though unfortunately for him his struggles were only making the situation worse.

"Who in their right mind would leave a box of cords right in the middle of the aisle?" He huffed in his highly Arabic accented voice. Working at a museum most of his life had made him adopt the habit of speaking in English most of the time, what with most of the tourists coming from westernised places that only spoke the language. With a few more twists and groans from the tanned male he managed to free himself of the mess.

He stood up in triumph while pointing a strong pointer finger back down at the accursed cords.

"Ah ha! Thought you could best the great Marik Ishtar did you?" he started circling the offending cords.

"Well I've got news for you buddy!" he exclaimed, not realising that his feet were being tangled once again with it.

"But nothing in this world can best me! Noth-Wah!" he tripped. Trying to find something to stop his fall he grabbed onto one of the bookshelves next to him. Falling forward with most of his weight in front of him, he accidently pushed the whole bookcase over. Unfortunate though, that the room was made circular because it created a chain reaction of sorts. Once the first case bashed into the second one, it made a domino effect that landed all seven bookcases upturned in a rather disastrous manner. Once the dust was settled, Marik stood up with his hands pulling at his hair. He was going to be in deep trouble he thought as he brushed some soot from his face. There was a bang that made him realise that someone had entered the now messier room.

"Oh, crap…" Marik muttered to himself as he knew who had just come in. A man with dark brown hair and striking blue eyes took in the sight before him from the doorway.

"Sons of the pharaoh! Give me flies, frog and lotuses, anything but you!" he exclaimed, making his way around the mess to stand in front of the shorter male.

"Compared to you the other plagues were a blessing!" he said, exasperatedly. Marik was quick not anger him, clasped his hands in a sign of pleading.

"I'm sorry Seto, it was an accident."

"When Ramses destroyed Syria, that was an accident." Seto replied, using his hands to enforce his point.

"You, are a catastrophe!" Marik winced, he's heard worse from Kaiba though, he was getting off easy this time.

"Why do I put up with you?" he asked rhetorically. Marik smirked, he knew that answer.

"Well, I can write and read ancient Egyptian, I can decipher hieroglyphics and hieratics. And I'm the only person within a thousand miles who knows how to properly code and categorise this library." He finished, feeling proud of himself. Seto on the other hand, wasn't as impressed.

"No, I put up with you because you older siblings are the museums best patrons." He corrected, dismissing Mariks look of injustice as he turned to go back out the door.

"I don't care how long it takes you. Straighten up this library!" And slammed the door shut with a loud bang.

Marik sighed, "I have a lot of work to do."

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><p>As Marik was nearing the hour mark of his hideous chore, a loud rustling sounded throughout the hallway and entered the library, making the tanned male stop what he was currently doing (as in, organising books) to go check it out. He walked out into the long hallway following the source of the noise all the way to the drop off bay where artefacts were brought to and from the museum. The scheduled drop off wasn't until the next week and that was why Mariks face pinched in confusion. <em>It could be a rat,<em> he thought, but that was highly improbable as the museum and everything in it was cleaned regularly so as not to upset hygiene critics.

Another rustling sound came from one of the large crates that had been left there, obviously forgotten. Marik moved closer to the crate so he could look inside when…

"SCCCCRRRREEEECCCCHHHH!"

A preserved mummy sat up out of the crate he peered over.

"Holy Shit!" Marik exclaimed, falling on his behind and scooted as far back as he could, shutting his eyes. He squeezed them shut until he heard an uproar of familiar laughter. Opening his eyes and standing up from his embarrassing position, he turned to glare at the source of the noise.

"Malik!" He shouted. Said man was currently lying next to the carcass holding his sides while trying to contain his jovial laughter.

"Are you quite done?" The glaring man asked. The laughing man, Malik, was slowly regaining control of his laughter and turned to look at the unimpressed man with a somewhat drunk look in his eyes.

"Why would you do that? Have you been drinking?" Marik eyed Malik with suspicion. The man, not unlike Marik himself was somewhat ruffled up and had a beer bottle in his hand. His hair, the same colour as Mariks that liked to defy gravity, was also drooped at the ends.

"Have you no respect for the dead?" Marik asked, rhetorically.

"I do, but at the moment I'd rather join them." Malik replied somewhat slurred. Marik, still somewhat shaken from the scare, went up and pushed the offending man in the chest.

"I hope you do that sooner rather than later before you ruin my career the way you've ruined yours." Marik said while poking a pointer finger in Maliks chest. Malik just grinned drunkenly.

"My dear sweet baby brother." he said while trying to make his way out of the crate wobbly.

"I'll have you know that at this moment, my career is on a high note!" he exclaimed, standing upright. Marik smirked.

"High note? Ha! For five years you've been scrounging around Egypt and what have you to show of it? Nothing!" Marik exclaimed. Malik ignored the insult and pushed his way past his brother towards an open sarcophagus on the far left of the room.

"Oh yes I do, right here!" Malik exclaimed, pulling out a strange hexagonal shaped object. Marik didn't look impressed.

"Oh no, not another useless trinket Malik. If I bring one more piece of junk to Kaiba to try….." Malik brought the key closer to him, "Where did you get this?" Marik asked, finally intrigued by the object. Malik looked put out at that question, seeming to of forgotten.

"Err…on a dig down in…erm, Cairo." He replied at last. Malik placed the object into Marik's hands and he examined it.

"Please tell me I've found something this time Mar. My whole life I've never found anything worthwhile. Please tell me I've found something." Fiddling around, Marik found a small latch on the side and eight tips sprang out from the centre of the trinket. A piece of paper was sitting in the middle of it and Marik unfolded it to find an extravagant map. Marik grins happily at his older brother.

"Malik, I think you've found something."

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><p>"See the cartouche there, it's the official royal seal of Seti the first, I'm sure of it."<p>

They were currently sitting in Kaibas office showing the man himself Malik's discovery. Malik leant over the desk to get a better look at the map.

"Two questions. First, who was Seti the first and was he rich?" Malik asked, sparing a glace at his brother across from him.

"He was the last Pharaoh of the old kingdom. Said to be the wealthiest Pharaoh of them all." Marik replied, feeling smug about his vast knowledge on the subject.

"Alright, that's good, really good. I like Seti, I like Seti a lot." Malik was enthralled with the idea of discovering that much wealth. Kaiba picked up the map and examined it closely.

"I've taken the liberty of dating it for you. It dates back five thousand years ago. See the hieratics over here…." Marik pointed to a row of symbols on the map. He inhaled deeply as if holding in some big surprise.

"It's Kul Elna." Kaiba froze, suddenly very nervous and then recovered.

"Marik, don't be ridiculous, we are scholars, not treasure hunters. Kul Elna is a myth." He breathed a sigh of relief, hoping Marik won't push the issue. Malik was intrigued though.

"Are we talking about the Kul Elna?" Marik nodded to him.

"Yes, the city of the dead, where Pharaohs were said to have hidden the wealth of Egypt." Malik nodded to himself, sure of the story.

"Right, in a big underground treasure chamber. Everyone knows the story. The entire necropolis was rigged to sink into the ground at the Pharaohs command." He looked some-what smug that he knows something historical for once. Marik smiled wryly.

"All historians know is that the town mysteriously vanished around 2,134 B.C."

Kaiba purposefully held the map closer to the candle on the table. He huffed, unimpressed with their 'so-called' logic.

"As the Americans would say: it's all fairy tales and hocus pocus." The map 'accidently' caught on fire and Kaiba threw it to the floor. Malik and Marik dropped to their knees immediately and quickly put it out. Both of their tanned hands lifted the charred paper up to examine the damage been done. Malik fumes.

"You burnt it! You burnt off the part of the lost city!" Both Ishtars glared at Kaiba, but he shook off their anger and shrugged.

"It's for the best. Many men have wasted their lives in the foolish pursuit of Kul Elna and no one has ever found it, most have never returned."

Malik gave him a kicked puppy look.

"You killed my map" he says, devastated. Kaiba ignores him.

"I'm sure it was a fake anyway. I'm surprised at you Marik, to be so fooled." He reached for the key, but Marik quickly snatched it off the desk and gave him a very angry, suspicious look.

Both Marik and Malik made their way outside the office, planning to find a way to this mysterious, Kul Elna.

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><p><strong>AN: Hope you enjoyed! Next chapter will finally start this adventure and Bakura comes back! R&R**


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: Here's another update. Just letting you all know that I've been given an extremely important SAT task to do for one of my classes so I may not get the chapters up as quickly. I will try my hardest, but by the holidays I should have plently of free time. Also something you should know is that this is a mix of The Mummy and The Mummy Returns so it won't be exactly the same storyline as I want it to sort of be my own creation of sorts.**

**Hikari Marik= Marik**

**Yami Marik= Malik**

**Disclaimer ownership to Kazuki Takahashi and Stephan Sommers  
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><p><strong>The Thief<strong>

It was a pleasant day in Cairo. The birds were singing, the sun was shining and the yells from the inmates were ever surprisingly colourful. You see, the place we've come to on our story is one of rotten bars and swearing men. If you guessed a prison, your spot on. Marik and Malik were currently making their way in through the entrance that lead to a courtyard where the prisoners were held behind bared walls. Marik wasn't happy as he just found out his brother had lied to him about where he'd found the key.

"You told me you found it on a dig in Cairo." Marik hissed at his brother who was currently whistling to himself. Malik turned to look the angry man in the eyes.

"I was mistaken." He replied casually, stuffing his hands in his pockets. Marik seethed.

"You friggen lied to me!" he spat, Malik was still unfazed.

"I lie to everyone, what makes you think you're so special?" he questioned. Marik looked dejected for a moment, then looked up at Malik with big eyes.

"Because I'm your brother?" he replied, sulking. Malik grinned.

"That just makes you more gullible." Marik glared again.

"You stole it from a drunk at a local bar!" Malik just looked smug.

"Picked his pocket actually."

A warden was leading them to where the person they needed to see was held. In front of one of the bared walls was a young white-haired man that seemed to be begging one of the guards for something, or in this case, someone.

"Please can I see him, for just five bloody minutes? It's all I need, please!" he had a soft British accented voice and he had his hands clasped together in a pleading manner. What Marik didn't establish was the man they were trying to find was also the man the white-haired wanted to see. Marik turned to the warden escorting them.

"What is he in prison for anyway?" The warden just shook his head.

"I didn't know, but when I heard he was getting visitors I asked him that myself." Marik was intrigued by this.

"What did he say?" The warden chuckled to himself.

"He said, he was just looking for a good time." Marik was about to ask further when the door on the other side of the bars sprung open. The man in question was in chains and was being lead by four guards. His extremely dirty white hair was almost in a mattered state and he looked like he hadn't showered or shaved in a month.

The cleaner white-haired man, sprung into action immediately. He bolted over to the chained man with a very wide grin on his face.

"Oh thank goodness your alright Bakura, I was worried sick!" his soft voice thick with worry. Bakura just looked at him with a tired look.

"Ryou, I'm not a baby anymore and I certainly don't need my brother playing the worried parent over me." He rolled his eyes while trying to get a more comfortable position with his tied up hands. Ryou perked up at that statement, seeming to grin evilly at his brother.

"Oh and speaking of worried parents I let mother know what you were up to as well." He smiled, knowing what his brothers reaction was going to be. Bakura blanched for a moment and then let a scowl form on his lips.

"You did what? God, do you know how much trouble I'm already in with her? When she finds out about this shit I'll be in a lot more trouble than I am now." He glared at his happy-go-lucky brother for a moment before he was interrupted by a soft coughing sound.

Malik had no idea what had just transpired amongst the two supposed brothers, but he was slowly growing impatient. Once he had both albinos' eyes on him he smiled.

"Sorry to interrupt…..whatever the hell that was, but I, we, kinda need your help…"

Bakura took in both of the Ishtars appearance, stopping on Marik for a bit, considering whether he was a boy or a girl. When he noticed the broad shoulders he smirked, definitely a male. Turning back to Malik he grinned.

"Whose the tart?" he asked, gesturing with his head towards Marik. Said man was outraged.

"Tart?" he glared at Bakura who chuckled darkly. Malik, trying to get the attention off a now seething Marik coughed awkwardly.

"That's my brother actually." Bakura shrugged.

"Yeah? Well,…I'm sure he's not a total loss." He grinned again when Marik glared. Ryou was watching the exchange with a blank face, hiding his surprise at the younger tanned male's confidence. The warden near Bakura's bars signalled for everyone's attention.

"I'll be back in a moment." And he was gone. Bakura gave a wry smile.

"I tremble with anticipation" he said sarcastically. A guard then reached over to thump Bakuras face into the metal bars and his head bounced right off it. Ryou gasped, obviously worried about his brother, but it seemed Bakura was in no pain and merely glared at the offending guard. Marik, wanting to finally progress into details, moved closer to the tied up man. He gave an awkward tug of his hair.

"We eh….found your puzzle box, and we've come to ask you about it." Bakura gave him a blank look.

"No" he said finally. Marik looked confused.

"No?" he asked. Bakura, still with a blank look on his face, huffed.

"No…..you came to ask me about Kul Elna."

Marik and Malik looked around, hoping no one heard him as Bakura gave his brother an exasperated look, Ryou just shrugged. Both tanned males stepped closer to the bars and Marik decided to act coy.

"How do you know the box pertains to Kul Elna?" Bakura gave him a dry look.

"Because that's where I found it, I was there." As if an informal 'duh' should have been added. Marik looked surprised, but Malik looks suspicious. Glaring at the tied up man he huffed.

"How do we know this guy isn't feeding us a load of crap?" he asked. Bakura took a long look at Malik, seeming to recognise him from somewhere.

"Hey,….do I know you?" he asked lengthy. Malik looked guilty as he tried to come up with a reply.

"Uh…well, you see I happen to have one of those faces…." Bakura interrupted his answer with a swift punch to Malik's face, earning him another beating across the head.

"Bakura!" Ryou scolded and went to help Malik up while tending to whatever injury he had received. Bakura growled at the man now nursing his sore eye.

"He bloody well deserved it, he stole my key." Marik looked toward his beaten brother, then calmly stepped around him while looking at Bakura.

"You've actually been to Kul Elna?" he asked, getting Bakura's attention. The dirty male looked confused.

"I just decked your brother." Marik merely shrugged.

"Yes, well….I know my brother." Bakura almost smirked, the boy has spunk.

"Yes, I've been there." Marik, still not entirely convinced, gave the weird man a long look.

"You swear?" Bakura gave him a hard look.

"Every damned day." Marik thought he was confused with his question.

"No, I mean-"

"I know what you mean. I was there alright. Seti's place. The city of the dead." Marik grinned excitedly.

"What did you find? What did you see?" Bakura tilted his head to the side in a tired manner.

"Same things you'd expect from a city of the dead. I found sand. I saw death." The warden came back to stand behind them once more and Marik moved even closer to Bakura.

"Could you tell me how to get there? The exact location?" Bakura heaved an exasperated sigh.

"You really want to know?" Marik nodded his head feverishly.

"Yes." Bakura then yanked Marik towards him by the scruff of his neck.

"Then get me the hell out of here!" He was then whacked once again by the guard and before he could react, was dragged back out the door by all four guards. Ryou stood up in a panic.

"Where are they taking him?" he asked desperately. The warden gave him a blank look.

"To be hanged." All three individuals looked shocked and Ryou let out a strangled whimper for his brother. The warden then smiled, showing them his green teeth.

"Apparently he had a very good time." The warden then walked away, presumably to watch the so called "hanging". Ryou turned to the Ishtar brothers with a panic-stricken face.

"Ok, I don't know who you two are, but I really need your help freeing my brother." Marik and Malik glanced at each other in a silent agreement, they needed Bakura so they had to help in anyway they can. Marik nodded his head at Ryou.

"Yeah, we'll help, but how are we gonna free him?" Ryou looked enthralled.

"Oh, thank-you! I think I may have an idea, but I'm gonna need a distraction…." He eyed the taller males thoughtfully, but stopped when he realised he'd forgotten something. Blushing profusely he stuck one of his pale hands out to them while scratching his head with the other.

"I apologize, I haven't even introduced myself and I'm already asking you for something. My name is Ryou, Ryou Touzoku, and the wanker we're about to try and free is my twin, Bakura." Malik was the first to shake the blushing mans hand.

"Malik Ishtar and the supposed 'tart' your brother was referring to is Marik, my baby brother." Marik scowled at his brother.

"I am not that freaking younger than you!" He shook Ryou's hand.

"Yes, I'm Marik." Ryou smiled, glad that the two Egyptians were now aware of whom they were talking to.

"Nice to meet you and I'm sorry, but we're going to have to save the 'getting to know you' part until later. We have to save my pig-head of a brother first."

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><p>Hundreds of filthy prisoners stared down into the gallows as the hangman's noose was draped over Bakura's head and cinched tight around his neck. Marik was following the warden into the sitting area above. The warden turned to look at him.<p>

"No kids allowed." Marik look. at him, appalled.

"I'll have you know, I am a respectful young adult, thank-you very much." The warden gave Marik a confused look then turned back to the seat to sit down. Bakura looked up at the two men as Marik took the seat beside the warden.

"I will give you one hundred dollars to let him go." Marik stated. It didn't seem to impress the smelly man beside him though.

"I would pay one hundred bucks just to see him hang." Marik panicked.

"Two hundred dollars!" The warden looked tired.

"Proceed!"

"Three hundred dollars!" Marik shouted, hoping it would work.

Meanwhile, Bakura could hear every word been spoken and looked up hopefully. He didn't spend most of his life researching and developing skills to end up at the end of a rope. Nothing else could be heard except for the two talking, or in this case, shouting. The hangman turned to Bakura.

"Any last words rat?" he hissed. Bakura smirked.

"Oh, sure. I'd like for you to be a delightful little servant and let me go." The hangman ignored him and grabbed the lever to the trapdoor.

"FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS!" Marik shoutd, no dice from the warden though as he gestured for the hangman to pull the lever. The lever is pulled and the trapdoor fell open with a bang, but it's a second bang that drewthe whole attention of the crowd to the wooden pole holding the tied rope.

A small dagger seemed to have been embedded into the wood, cutting the rope off the plank in the process. While the attention was off him, Bakura scurried through the crowd with the rope still around his neck to an open door. For an outsider it would look like Bakura had 'magically' disappeared.

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><p>About ten minutes later, the group of young men were stationed in the Ishtar's automobile. Bakura with his now free hands and neck looked grimly at Marik who was sitting across from him.<p>

"Ok, so I guess I owe you for saving my life." Marik looked up from his view outside the vehicle to look at the dirty man hopefully.

"Does this mean you've decided to help us?" Malik, who is currently sitting next to his brother across from Ryou, looked confused though.

"Wait, Marik didn't- OUCH!" he was interrupted with a swift kick to the leg by Ryou. He turned to glare at the offending man, but Ryou was gesturing for him to 'shut his trap'. Bakura, confused by the two's weird actions, sighed.

"Fine, I'll help you. But you have to do exactly as I say once we're there. There's no telling how dangerous it could get." Marik was confused by the statement.

"Why would it be dangerous? It's just a bunch of ruined buildings isn't it?" Bakura gave him a wry grin.

"Oh, you'll see." And left it at that. The rest of the trip to a nearby motel was in silence, as all four men were contemplating their next course of action.

Once they arrived and hopped out of the car, Malik took Ryou aside. "Why didn't you let me tell him it wasn't Marik who saved him?"

_**Flashback **_

_While Marik ran off to talk the warden out of hanging his brother, Ryou pulled out a small carving knife from his pocket._

_"What's that for?" A voice asked from next to him. Ryou jumped with fright, but looked to his left to see the wild-haired Ishtar and sighed with relief. _

_"Oh, Malik, it's just you. I thought you may have been a guard." Malik shook his head with a small smile on his face at the man's reaction. _

_"Naw, I'd never be a guard, too much work and if all the prisoners are like your brother then I'd have a permanent black eye." Ryou chuckled at this, but looked towards Maliks muscles and gulped. _

_"Hah, I'm pretty sure you'd manage fine." Malik let out a bark of laughter. _

_"I guess your right, but that still doesn't explain the reason why you're holding a knife." He crossed his arms and gestured towards the dagger the pale man was holding with a raised eye-brow. Ryou looked sheepishly at this. _

_"Well, you see, I erm…." Malik was still waiting, but Ryou was looking off to the side, obviously listening to something. Malik sighed. _

_"Ryou-" _

_"Shhhh!" Ryou shushed, him, gesturing for him to follow him towards the stands. Malik complied and they both made their way to the top of the steps._

_"Three hundred dollars!" Marik shouted at the warden. Malik face-palmed himself, "What is that idiot doing with our money?" But Ryou was too preoccupied with the tied up man to notice._

_"FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS!" Marik shouted, but the warden didn't listen, gesturing for the hangman to pull the lever. Ryou gasped, gripping the knife tighter. As the lever was pulled, he forced his arm backwards and, just as Bakura was about to fall to his untimely death, he flung the knife towards the pole holding the rope. It made its mark perfectly and Ryou smiled to himself. He turned around to find a shocked Malik with his mouth hanging wide open. Ryou blushed. _

_"What? I couldn't very well let my brother die now could I?" He then turned to go meet Marik and an escaping Bakura outside, a still shocked Malik following right behind him._

_**End Flashback**_

Ryou crossed his hands and looked off to where Marik and Bakura were heading inside and sighed to himself.

"Listen, Bakura's always had problems before. He's never thought to put others before himself either. This is why I think he should go on this 'so called' adventure with you. It'll improve his character and hopefully put an end to his rebellious lifestyle. Goodness knows our parents would want that." He looked towards Malik with a small smile on his face.

"Just don't tell him I did it alright?" Malik heaved a dramatic sigh, crossed his arms and leaned against the car door.

"I suppose I could spare him that little detail." Ryou grinned.

"Thank-you, it's all I could ask of you." Malik shrugged.

"I'm just in this for the treasure anyway. By the way…Where in the world did you learn to throw knives like that?" Ryou chuckled.

"Oh, I just sort of, picked it up I guess…" and then raced into the motel, leaving Malik standing by himself outside. The wild-haired blonde shook his head.

"What the hell is up with these Touzoku brothers, I'll never know…"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: If you all must know, Ryou will most likely fill the role of Alex in the second movie as I think he'll suit the character perfectly. I've also decided to give him a bit more strength, but he is still the same Ryou at heart. Hope you enjoyed! R&R Please!**


	4. Chapter 3 Part 1

**A/N: Ok, so I'm trying to push these next two chapters out sort of quick. This is due to mid year exams coming up. I was originally going to have this as the one chapter, but it became too long so I cut in two.**

**Thank-you to all who are reviewing and hope you enjoy the next chapter!**

**Disclaimer of both Yu-gi-oh! and The Mummy**

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><p><strong>رِحْلِة الأَلْف مِيل تَبْدَأ بِخَطْوَة<strong>

The next morning saw our adventurous Egyptians standing at a port, waiting for their English friend to arrive. Marik was feeling nervous because he wasn't sure their rotten guide will turn up and they'd been waiting for a while.

"Do you really think he'll show?" Marik asked, taking a glance at his older brother who was currently leaning on his suitcase with his arms crossed. Malik shrugged at the shorter man.

"Undoubtedly, I know the breed, he may be a thief, but his word is his word."

"Oh, he'll show." A familiar soft voice said from behind them, startling the two men. Both Ishtar's turned around to see a smiling Ryou, holding a suitcase as well. This confuses the two brothers greatly.

"Are you coming too Ryou?" Malik asked, perplexed. Ryou nodded.

"I'm not missing this opportunity to actually see Kul Elna firsthand, and I've also been given strict instructions by our mother to….keep an eye on Bakura." He replied with a wry smile. "Although, I don't know how forceful I'll be considering the way my brother likes to behave." His smile turned into a harsh frown, but, seconds later, split back into a wide smile. Marik rolled his eyes.

"To be perfectly honest Ryou, I think your brother's filthy and rude. I don't like him one bit."

"Gee, anyone I know?" A deep accented voice asked. Both tanned males turn to see who they believe to be one Bakura Touzoku. He was impressive, to say the least. Clean shaven, hair some-what combed, the man was quite a sight for people who hadn't seen him normal and not dirty before. Malik and Marik both exchanged surprised looks, where else Ryou merely rolled his eyes at his twin.

"Took you long enough." Bakura smirked at his brothers' remark.

"Well, you know what they say, leave them guessing and all." The Ishtar's broke out of their shock and Malik forced his hand into Bakura's.

"Great day for the start of an adventure, eh, Touzoku?" Bakura, once they'd finished shaking hands, went to check his pockets for his wallet.

"Oh, I wouldn't steal from a partner, eh, partner?" Malik grinned, throwing an arm over Bakura's neck. Immediately the Englishman took a hold of said Egyptians arm and removed it from around his neck and twisted it so it was stuck behind the mans' back. Removing his pale hand from Malik's tanned one he chuckled.

"Sorry, reflex reaction, eh partner?" Malik gave Bakura an awkward smile while rubbing his arm as Marik stepped forward, ignoring the men's scuffle.

"Mr Touzoku, can you look me straight in the eye and guarantee me this is not some sort of wild goose chase? Because if it is, I'm warning you-", but he was cut off when Bakura took a hold of the scruff of his collar again. Ryou, shocked by his brothers' behaviour, tried to intervene.

"Bakura, please let him go!" Bakura turned his stone gaze to him, effectively shutting him up. Turning back to Marik, Bakura stared directly into his defiant violet eyes.

"All I can tell you, Mr Ishtar, is that I found that blasted map in an ancient fortress, and that all of my damn troops believed in it so much, that without orders, we marched halfway across Libya and into Egypt to find that city. Like I told you, all I saw was sand. Everybody else was wiped-out by Tuareg warriors." He then let go of Mariks shirt, picked up his suitcase and boarded the boat. Marik followed the mans' back with his eyes, intrigued by what may have spooked him into his train of thinking. Malik wandered up to him, suitcase in hand with a grin plastered on his face.

"Oh yes, real blood thirsty. Seriously, I reckon I could take him." Marik fixed his stare on the taller man.

"You wish, he'd kill you before you had time to pull your gun out." Ryou walked up to the men, chuckling.

"Well, a very good morning gentlemen, but we best be off. Time for adventure and all." Marik and Malik nodded as the nicer Touzoku twin walked past them and onto the ship.

"They're like complete opposites aren't they?" Malik asked Marik, but found that he'd already disappeared onto the ship. Scrambling to grab his case, Malik made his way also up the plank onto the ship with his mouth in a fine line.

"Fine, don't let me finish speaking, see if I care."

* * *

><p>Night had fallen over the ship as it carried our four adventurers across the Nile. Malik, ever the playful one, had found himself some poker playing companions. They all had nothing to lose from this game as they were all millionaires already. What intrigued Malik the most was the lengths they'd go to for their greed. Malik had just made a bet when Bakura walked past the table they're playing at, gunny-sack in hand. Striving to get on the thief's good side, the Egyptian called him over with a wave.<p>

"Come sit, Touzoku, come sit. We could use another good player."

Bakura merely turned his nose up at the request. "Thanks, but no thanks chaps. I only gamble with my life, never my money." One of the millionaires perked up at that statement. He had bright green eyes and jet black hair tied in a pony-tail. He grinned at Bakura's cowardness.

"Never? What if I wagered you five hundred bucks says we get to Kul Elna first?" Bakura gazed at the man for a moment before returning his cocky grin with one of his own.

"You're on." Another man, one with silver-white hair covering one eye fixed his gaze on the thief.

"What makes you so confident, sir?" Suspicious by the man, Bakura hardened his gaze.

"What makes you?" The third man at the table, one with long cascading bluish hair and mis-matching eye colours, crossed his arms.

"We have a man who has actually been there." Bakura's poker face dropped as he stared at each man, perplexed. Malik also seemed suspicious, but decided to open his mouth anyway.

"Well what a coincidence, we-", Bakura "accidently" whacked him with his gunny-sack to successfully shut him up.

"Whose deal is it? Is it my deal? I thought I just dealt?" He changed the subject in the nick of time and Bakura nodded to himself, satisfied and walked away.

**يمر الوقت**

"Ok….where the hell did my treasure go?"

Malik, having finished his pleasant game of poker was searching for the supposed "treasure" he'd found. The key was nowhere to be found and all of his suspicions pointed to the thieving Touzoku brother. Frowning angrily, Malik stomped his way towards the twins shared room on the ship like a man on a mission. Not caring in the least if someone was getting dressed or sleeping, he grabbed the doorknob, twisted and flung the door open with a bang. What he did not expect was the reaction of the person inside the room. A loud metallic sound echoed throughout the room as a sharp knife came straight towards Maliks face, hell-bent on its target. Just in time, Malik managed to duck before it could imbed itself in his face, but not without a comical 'Wah!' coming from his lips. The knife ended up on the other side of the hallway with a wham. Malik spared a glance at the now knifed door and gulped to himself before taking a look as to who threw it.

Ryou was sitting on his bed, eyes wide with fear and hands shaking. He couldn't believe how close he had been from killing one of his new friends. He let out a strangled gasp at his reaction and sprung up from his position on the bed.

"Oh shoot! I'm so sorry, I reacted without thinking again! Are you all right? I didn't hit you did I? Because if I did I couldn't forgive myself…." The soft spoken Brit blabbed, giving Malik a one over. The taller man merely chuckled at Ryou's over the top reaction, shaking off his worry.

"Seriously, what is it with you Touzoku's and your reflexes?" Ryou grinned sheepishly at the Egyptian, scratching his head with a hand.

"Runs in the family I guess," he shrugs. Malik glanced once again at the knife that may have ended his life then turns a suspicious gaze to Ryou.

"Call me crazy, but why on earth were you sitting on your bed with a knife in hand and, most importantly, how the hell did you learn to throw like that?" Ryou looked put out for a moment while looking anywhere but at Malik, he'd probably have to tell him now. The young man heaved a sigh.

"I may as well tell you the truth. Both Bakura and I, well lets just say we're not like your average polite and soft-spoken Englishmen. I, we, have trained and studied many martial arts in our time. Actually, to be perfectly honest, Bakura doesn't have a clue I know the arts because he ran away from home when he was little. He decided to 'break ties' as it were and took up a life of thievery, picking up tricks here and there, and eventually making his way to Egypt. But I've always been able to track him down, that's why our parents aren't out looking for him because I report back any news about him. They aren't happy with him, but he's still their son." Malik was in awe at Ryou's open honesty, the twins had many secrets and it seemed Ryou was so eager to trust someone that he'd spill most of those secrets to someone he barely knew. Ryou seemed to forget an important part, bopped his head with the heel of his hand.

"Oh and the reason I had the knife was for protection. I didn't have it in my hand until I heard footsteps and, I naturally freaked and threw it without checking who it was first. Again I'm incredibly sorry for my rash acting." He fixed Malik with an apologetic stare. Malik, breaking out of his awed expression, shruggled his shoulders.

"It's alright I guess, no harm done. I'll just have to watch out next time." He gave Ryou a grin.

"That's quite an arm you've got there." Ryou blushed and tilted his head.

"Knife throwing is my specialty." Malik's grin widened.

"Huh, ya don't say. Anyway, the reason I came here in the first place was to see if your dummy of a brother had stolen my treasure." Ryou seemed confused by the statement and cocked his head to the other side.

"Excuse me, but what treasure exactly?" Malik gave himself an internal whack upside the head, of course he wouldn't know about it.

"Uhh, it's a hexagonal shaped object. Grey and forms a star when turned a certain way. Ringing any bells at all?" Ryou brought a pointer finger to his lip in thought for a moment. Suddenly he smacked a fist into his palm in triumph.

"Yes! I saw Bakura playing with it before when we were unpacking some of our stuff, I had no clue it was actually yours." Malik looked guilty for a moment before coming up with a fool proof lie.

"Yeah, found it on a site in Cairo a week ago, donno why he'd be interested in it though. I should probably go see him about it. Sorry for wasting your time and", he glanced again at the knife, "your efforts." He finished, turning to leave, but Ryou stuck out a hand to stop him.

"Wait, I know you want it back, but I doubt Bakura will give in so easily. Let me have a chat with him and I'll try and get it back to you by morning. No use giving more fuel to the fire, as the saying goes." Malik gave him a long look and seemed to be contemplating his decisions. Although he enjoyed a good fight once in a while, a fight with Bakura may not be such a good idea as he was just working his way into the thief's good books.

Giving Ryou a shrug, he reached over to the knife embedded into the door next to him and gave it a hard tug, effectively pulling it out. Placing it back into the younger twins hands he smiled.

"Alright, I guess that's a good idea. I do hope to get it back though, if not me, than my brother." Ryou smiled back at him, happy he'd stopped an inevitable argument in its tracks.

"Sure, I understand, but for now I think I should probably head to bed, big day ahead and all." Malik nodded his head, said his goodbyes to the strange young man and left to go to his own room to sleep for the night.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, on the ships balcony Marik sat, reading an ancient scripture he'd 'borrowed' from the museum before him and his brother left. He was muttering the translations to himself out loud, logging it into his memory bank. What the young Egyptian failed to notice, was a sneaky shadow making its way towards him. Bakura, needing to find an empty spot to set up his guns, spotted Marik on a nearby bench. He shrugged to himself, seeing there was nowhere else to go and mades his way over to the preoccupied man.<p>

Marik was currently working his way through the 'so called' legend of Kul Elna as the shadow came from behind him and dumped something in front of him, effectively scaring the ever loving crap out of him.

"Shit! What the hell? Could have warned me before plonking that crap down and scaring the shit out of me." Bakura ignored his statement, grinning.

"Sorry mum, didn't mean to scare you." Marik placed the parchment he was holding down on the table and lifted his head to glare at the thief.

"What scares me most Mr Touzoku, is your attitude and manners." Bakura puckered his lips in a mock pout.

"Still angry I held you against your will are you?" Marik scoffed.

"Pfft no, I'm just stating that you act like an asshole is all." Now it was Bakuras' turn to glare at the Egyptian, but he decided not to respond and started to pull out revolvers, pistols, hunting knives, a massive elephant gun, and a half dozen carefully wrapped sticks of dynamite from the gunny-sack he'd previously dumped on the table. Marik gaped at the machinery, confused. "Did I previously miss something? Are we going into battle?" Bakura gave him a blank look.

"The last time I was at that place, everyone I was with died." This wiped the look off Marik's face instantly. Bakura started to dismantle his guns.

"There is something underneath that bloody sand." He stated, frustrated. Marik grinned.

"Yes, I'm hoping to find a book actually, Malik thinks there's treasure. What do you think is out there?" Bakura locked his mahogany gaze on Mariks violet.

"Evil. The Tuaregs and the Bedouin believe that Kul Elna is cursed, they call it, 'the doorway to hell'." Marik gave him a smug look.

"Ahmar is Ossirion. 'Passageway to the underworld' actually." The blonde cocked a 'know-it-all' smile. "I don't believe in fairytales Mr Touzoku, but I do believe that one of the most famous books in history is buried out there. The book of the living." Bakura gave him a confused look.

"And the fact that the legends state that the book is made out of pure gold doesn't interest you?"

This interested Marik greatly.

"You know your history." Bakura grinned.

"I know my treasure." Marik then picked up his parchments to head off to bed when Bakura stuck a leg out to stop him in his tracks. Marik stared at Bakura, confusion written all over his face. Bakura then chucked something at him and he barely managed to catch it. The blonde opened his hands to find the key nestled in his palms. He was about to question the thief about why he had it when the idiot decided to open his mouth.

"By the way, you're extremely light-weighted for a male." Then tucked his leg back in while Marik's eyes widened in fury. He then stomped dramatically off to put his papers away, question forgotten. Bakura stared after him with a perplexed look.

"What?...What did I say?"

The thief then heard snickering from behind a nearby luggage crate. Suspicious by the noise, the white-haired man went to see what it was. Reaching behind the crate he pulled out none other than Joey Wheeler, coward extraordinaire.

"Ehh! My ol' pal, what a surprise!" He said nervously in his deep Brooklyn toned voice while he tried to wrestle out of Bakura's grip. "Yer never been a people person 'ave ya?" He fixed the thief with a wide grin. Bakura was not so amused.

"So you're the one leading the others, I should have figured that. So what have you got planned this time weasel? Get them out into the middle of the desert and leave them to rot?" He unconsciously tightened his hold on the struggling man while he put a knife to his neck. Joey shook his head.

"Unfortunately no, these men are smart, payin' me half now and half when I get 'em back to Cairo. So I have to go all da way."

Bakura pulled the knife away, but not before giving him a small cut. Joey automatically reached up to rub at his now subtly bleeding neck.

"Ya never believed in Kul Elna, Toz. Why ya goin' back? The devil 'imself lives out dare."

A loud crash was heard, followed by a load of curses in both Arabic and English, obviously from Marik. Bakura looked back at Joey.

"You hear that? That boy saved my neck. Figured it's the least I could do to keep him and his brother out of trouble." He fixed Joey with a stare that dared him to say anything against his reasons. Joey dared all the same.

"You always did try to act innocent Touzoku." Bakura glared at the insult, then broke out into a wide grin that wiped Joey's straight off his face.

"Let's make us even then shall we?" Bakura said slyly, Joey just looked confused.

"Even?" The thief then grabbed the man and chucked him overboard.

"See you Joey!" he shouted. Joey landed in the water with a loud splash and resurfaced immediately.

"Touzoku, I'm gonna kill ya for dis!" he shouted back at the man watching him from the balcony.

Bakura turned around with a smirk, "Sounds familiar."

He began to work his way back to his shared room when he noticed large wet footprints on the floor underneath him, definitely not his. Scrunching up his nose, the man followed the footprints until they stopped where the carpet begins, leading towards the cabin rooms. His eyes hardened as he realises an important part of what happened last time he went to Kul Elna.

The Tuareg men.

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><p><strong>AN: So there you have the first half of the chapter. By the way, the title means; "The journey of a thousand miles starts with one step" and the middle one means; "Passing time"  
><strong>

**Hoped you enjoyed it and I'll be sure to have the next half finished asap =)**


	5. Chapter 3 Part 2

**A/N: Well I finally managed to get this puppy up! I had a few SACs this week and as such, couldn't find time to fit in study and writing. I probably won't be able to update for a few days because I have my last two SACs this coming week, but after that I'll be able to. **

**I've also taken the liberty of going over my past chapters and revising my tenses as I like to swap between past and present a lot**. **=/**

**Again info as follows:**

**Hikari Marik= Marik**

**Yami Marik= Malik**

**Disclaim ownership to Kazuki Takahashi and Stephen Sommers**

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><p><strong>رحلة الألف ميل بخطوة تبدأ الجزء الثاني<strong>

Marik sat on his bed, toying with the key recently given to him by the thief. The symbols on it interested the man greatly and learning more about the treasure would help him know what the item could be used for. Putting down the key for a moment, he rubbed his eyes to rid them of the kohl covering them. The lights were off on his older brothers' side of the room because the man was currently curled up in the blankets, fast asleep.

Glaring at the offending roof, Marik picked up the key to examine it once more. Unfortunately, this time his thoughts were interrupted by a certain white-haired thief plaguing his mind. He was intrigued by the man, what were his motives? Was he trying to sell him out for something? Could he be trusted? All these, Marik couldn't answer, but he still had to watch out for his deviant friend, guide or no guide.

The blonde heaved a sigh, closing his eyes while lowering his arms, dropping the key onto his stomach in the process. Resting his head on his arms he opened his eyes to the roof again, only this time, it wasn't the roof he was staring at. A massive sword was pointed in between Marik's eyes, automatically making the man freeze. The man holding the knife was difficult to identify as he was covered in black robes from his head to his toe. What surprised the blonde though, was that the man hadn't already run him through yet.

Marik's violet eyes trailed down towards his own stomach where the key was sitting, hoping to somehow jiggle it upward. But the man standing over him wouldn't allow that as he grabbed a fistful of his hair and forced it upward so his eyes were in line with the sword once again.

"I'm here for the map," the mans' gruff voice asked, muffled by the cloth covering his mouth. Marik, trying to think up a quick solution, darted his eyes to the table in the middle of the room where the map was laid out on, next to a candle. The masked figure followed his train of vision, and then returned it to Marik's.

"And the key?" He asked, obviously not noticing it on the blonde's stomach. Internally grinning at his luck, Marik kicked one of his legs upward, effectively getting the robed man off him. Grabbing the key that fell off his body during the struggle he tried to make for the door, but the man beat him to it, blocking the doorway, sword raised. _Crap,_ Marik cursed in his mind, searching for anything to help him. He looked towards his still sleeping brother with a frustrated look on his face; _he'd sleep through a tornado given the chance._ Getting an idea, the Egyptian rushed back towards his bed, masked man stalking him and grabbed a pillow from it, flinging it at his snoring siblings head, waking him up.

The older, now ruffled up Ishtar rubbed at his eyes, annoyed by his brothers' action.

"Geez, thanks brother, wake me up while I was having quite a nice dream. Was laying on a pile of mo-,"

"You know, I'd love to hear about your dream some other time Malik, but right now I could use your help!" Marik was currently getting backed into a wall, the cloaked figure slowly making his way towards him. He had to find a way to get to the map before the man took it, but he was unprotected by the ever gaining sword.

Malik seemed to finally tune in on the problem and grabbed one of his own pillows, stalking his way up behind the man. The man in question finally noticed Malik too because he turned around, only to get thumped behind the head by the taller blondes' pillow. Malik grinned, but his joy was only short lived as the man landed hard on the table, breaking it in the process. Unfortunately the candle that was sitting on the table landed on top of the map as the table broke, setting fire to it for a second time.

Maliks' grin then turned into a scowl when he saw the man getting back up. He raised his arms in an attempt to whack the man with the pillow again. No such luck though, as the mans' sword cut cleanly through it.

Marik gave him a blunt look as if to say; 'did you really think that'd work twice?' Malik just shrugged at him and then turned back to their attacker. What he didn't expect was the man to whistle, signalling for something, or better yet, someone.

Not seconds after the sound, another four darkly robed figures appeared through the window in their cabin above Marik's bed. The Ishtar brothers glanced at each other in a way that said they were royally screwed. Not giving up without a fight however, they nodded to each other and turned to glare at the man who whistled. Grinning darkly, both Ishtars slammed headfirst into the man, knocking him out in the process. But there was still the problem of the other men.

The two blonde-haired men couldn't stand a chance against professional fighters and were being backed once again towards the wall. Two of the four men were holding guns, while the other two were holding swords similar to that of the first one. They were scrunching up their eyes in fright, ready to be shot when the door slammed open to reveal an annoyed white-haired thief, holding a gun in each hand. Once he noticed the Ishtar's predicament however, he barked a harsh laugh.

"Friends of yours?" He asked with a wry smile. It was short lived however, when the two men with guns pointed them towards him. Thinking fast, Bakura shot both his pistols, killing them. He just didn't expect them to go flying the way they did.

The Brit had fired into their heads, flinging them both back with momentum. They came down on a set of draws with an unlit lantern and a stack of clothes atop it. Crashing with all their weight, the drawer toppled over, sending the lantern and clothes flying everywhere. The lantern fell to the ground and smashed into pieces, sending kerosene spewing to the floor.

One of the alive, sword wielding men grabbed Marik around the neck with skilled precision, cutting off his airways with the weapon. Malik, seeing his brothers' struggles, bent down and grabbed the candle that fell over, now dimly lit. Making sure to stop the man from cutting off his siblings head, Malik poked the candle into the cloaked mans' eye.

While this was happening, Bakura was left to fight off another two men who'd appeared behind him and the other sword wielding one. Shooting and hitting one of them, the Englishman put away his now dead guns, reaching for a knife from his back pocket.

The man who had just gotten poked in the eye, howled in pain and instantly released Marik from his prison. Malik, having the candle knocked out of his hands, went to his now choking brother, not noticing the position the candle was in.

Flames erupted around the blondes as Bakura flung a knife at one of the remaining men. Satisfied, the white-haired man turned to the Ishtar's, grabbing their arms and forcing them out of the room before they could get burnt or stabbed. Turning back around, while ducking by sword swipes, Bakura picked up the 'supposed' key Marik had dropped in his struggle and quickly made his way back to the other two males.

Scurrying across the hallway, making their way towards the deck area, Marik froze.

"I forgot the map!" Turning on his heels, the younger Egyptian went to sprint his way back towards the room when Bakura's arm stopped him. Looking up at the thief confused, the violet eyed man tried to push his way past the inferior arm. Bakura merely scoffed at the act and pushed Marik back in line with his brother.

"Relax will you, I'm the map." The thief then grabbed a hold of Marik's shirt clad arm and dragged him along, Malik following close behind. Marik glared at the man while trying to break free from his iron grip.

"How reassuring", he rolled his eyes, "and I can walk perfectly well by myself, thank-you very much." He said as he managed to rip his arm out of Bakura's grip and straighten up, sticking his nose in the air. Bakura growled.

"Stop acting pissy. There are still more of those guys around here somewhere." As he said this, the trio had managed to make it out onto the deck, near where the horses were kept.

It was havoc outside, all the people on board were going nuts as the fire spread throughout the cabins and onto the open deck. A loud 'bang' sounded as a chunk of wall Marik was standing by blew up. Bakura pulled out another gun from who knows where and started firing at the second last cloaked man that had committed the act.

That proved to be a mistake however, as another five men appeared over the railing, all wielding guns and knives. Bakura scowled.

"Oh shit!" He cursed, once again grabbing the younger blondes' arm roughly, shooting the hatch off the stable door. The horses were riled up because of the fire and stampeded across the deck, startling the cloaked figures and cutting Malik from the other two. While the men were preoccupied, Bakura dragged Marik behind a wall to replace his lost bullets.

One fired at the wall, a nice distance from their heads. Bakura was hurrying with his bandolier, trying to shove enough bullets into his guns as another one fired, this time closer to their heads. Marik looked around worried.

"Will you hurry up?" He said to the preoccupied man impatiently. Bakura was fiddling with about two or three bullets in his mouth, unable to respond to the frustrated man. Another one fired, right next to the thief's head as he quickly shoved one of the bullets into the gun.

Just as another shot rang out, Marik grabbed hold of Bakura's vest and yanked him out of the way as it hit right where his head would have been. The white-haired man froze for a moment, unsure of what just happened. Shaking his head out of the shock, he ripped himself from Marik's grip and loaded the last bullet into his gun.

Quickly peeking around the side, the thief found another lit lantern next to the robed men and smirked, wielding his gun. He shot the object square on and it burst into flames around the mysterious men.

"Come on!" He shouted towards Marik and they both bolted to the railings separating themselves from the water below. Glancing back at the almost fully on fire boat, Bakura grimaced. He turned to the blonde with a somewhat pensive look.

"Can you swim?" He asked, gesturing towards the river below. Marik gazed at him, confused.

"Well yes…Wh-!" That was a long enough answer for Bakura as he quickly picked up the light Egyptian and threw him overboard.

Taking one last glance at the area around him, the thief jumped gracefully onto the railing and dove into the water after Marik.

**وفي الوقت نفسه**

Malik, having just punched a guy out, was in the process of making his way to the railings to follow his brother and guides example when he noticed his poker buddies from before, firing wildly at the group of cloaked men. Malik rolled his eyes.

"Tourists."

Suddenly a now fully lit man grabbed him by the throat and pushed him into a cabin wall. Malik's eyes widened when he spied a sword making its way towards him. A shot was heard from a distance and the flaming man dropped to the ground, dead. Malik's eyes followed the source of the noise to find Ryou holding a shotgun of his own. Looking shocked at what he'd accomplished; the nicer Brit shoved the gun back into his pocket and dove into the water.

Grinning at his luck, Malik looked around at the flaming boat in awe, backing towards the railing.

"Well that was lucky." He said while letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding. He then pointed a thumb proudly at himself.

"And did I panic?" He asked the air. Pulling out the key he had once again stolen from Bakura, he threw it up into the air and caught it.

"I think not." He answered himself, while puffing out his chest in happiness. That was when a few rogue camels came stampeding towards him, successfully knocking him off balance and plunging him into the Nile waters below.

* * *

><p>The Ishtar and Touzoku brothers waddled their way onto the shoreline, completely spent. Ringing his hair out, Malik pouts.<p>

"Well that completely wreaked my night." He said, more to himself than anyone else. Bakura glared at the now flat haired Egyptian and stormed all the way up to him.

"Give me my treasure. Now!" He fumed. The said man meekly stretched a hand out, trinket in his palm. Snatching it off Malik, Bakura growled. He then walked calmly toward his twin, thrusting the object into his hands.

"Guard it with your life Ryou or I will have your head." He sounded serious to Marik and Malik, but Ryou merely took it in stride, seeming happy his brother entrusted him with something. Marik shook his head, ringing the water out of his clothes and hair, Malik doing the same next to him.

A faint chuckle was heard by the Ishtar's and they looked to see Ryou staring at them.

"What?" They said, simultaneously. This only made Ryou laugh harder.

"Are you sure you two aren't twins either? Because you look pretty identical to me." Marik and Malik exchanged confused looks, but Marik was the first to speak.

"Well, we've been mistaken for twins before, but we're still a year apart from each other." He shrugged. Ryou smiled, also ringing out his drenched white hair.

Bakura was getting rid of the water from his clothes as well, as he gazed at the now sinking ship and the retreating backs of the millionaire's. He spotted Joey guiding three horses onto the banks and realised that they no longer had any form of transportation to carry them to the lost city. The dirty blonde turned to grace Bakura with a wide grin.

"'Ey Touzoku! Looks to me like I got all the horses!" Bakura, thinking up a quick comeback, turned and grinned at the American.

"Hey Wheeler! Looks to me like you're on the wrong side of the river!" The wet thief then dragged himself up the shoreline to meet the rest of his group. Joey, confused by Bakura's last statement, gazed up at the stars. Realisation came to him and he kicked the sand underneath him while muttering a few curses.

Bakura, grinning to himself, lead his group further away from the river to find a safe place to stay for the night as the flaming boat slowly sank deeper into the water in the background.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: The title is the same with 'part 2' added to it and the middle Arabic word is simply 'meanwhile'. Also, I would like to know if you guy wanted me to put some hints of thiefshipping in this because that's as far as I'll go. Hope you enjoyed and R&R!**


	6. Chapter 4

**A/N: Pew! Finally updated! I apologise for the delay, I was suffering from writers block at many moments and couldn't continue until I worked everything out. Thank-you to my reviewers and readers for your support! **

**Well anyway! Here's the next chapter!**

**Info:**

**Marik= Hikari Marik**

**Malik= Yami Marik**

* * *

><p><strong><span>The City Of the Dead<span>  
><strong>

It was early morning when our four adventurers wandered into an unknown, quaint village. Both sets of siblings needed food, clothing and transportation in order to make it to Kul Elna, and hopefully win the bet Bakura made with the millionaires. Easier said than done for the albino twins as they were currently short changed and Ryou wouldn't let Bakura scab off the Egyptians as it was 'impolite' and 'rude'. As expected, the thief scoffed at his brothers' love for all that was 'holy' and 'just' in the world, stating that it was essential they arrive in Kul Elna before the other team or else they'd be in even more 'shit' with their parents, not just the rogue twin this time. So, it was safe to say that Ryou finally relented and gave his brother permission, only if he didn't threaten them in the process.

Unfortunately for the young Englishmen, the Egyptians were in short supply of cash as well. Only having enough for clothes and food when they needed armour and a way to be taken that won't end in disaster like the last transportation device chosen. The wild-haired twin growled in frustration at that, hating the idea of coming to a dead end. Luckily, he managed to spot a shed that held a few camels, just enough for the group to use. The only problem was that the animals themselves would've cost them an arm and a leg to buy (in the literal sense). However, being a notorious thief and all, Bakura merely sat down under a tree and thought up a plan to steal said camels. Marik was off buying clothes and gear with his brother while Malik was 'stuck' with the rude man, a remark Bakura scoffed at once again, in order to not get into any trouble and stay out of Mariks hair.

The dishevelled white-haired man was staring at the leaves on the branches above them, formulating a plan when an annoying scraping sound interrupted. He let his mahogany eyes glare daggers into the Egyptians face, hopefully drawing the annoying mans attention away from the horrible drawings he was trying to etch into the sand with a stick. Malik didn't seem to notice the growing annoyance in the other man and continued to scrap more crappy sketches. Sighing angrily to himself, Bakura tried to tune out the consistent noise, turning his attention back to the landscape above him. It worked for a while as Malik softened his pressure on the stick, but it only lasted a glorious two minutes before Bakura finally snapped.

"Oh will you shut that bloody racked up?" He leaned in with a feral snarl in place. Malik spared a glance in the Brits direction before grinning mischievously to himself at his accomplishment to get under the thief's skin. He continued with his drawing, the grin never leaving his face and shrugged.

"I would…..but really, what else is there to do in this place?" He stopped his movements for a bit to eye the man next to him suspiciously. "Anyway, it's not like you're doing anything."

Bakura tilted his head to the opposite side and crossed his arms, eyes turning from daggers into razors.

"If you must know, idiot. I'm trying to figure out how to steal a bunch of camels without Ryou or anyone else knowing." He turned his gaze upward once again in thought. Malik blinked back his surprise at that random answer, not really understanding. He gave Bakura a confused look, furrowing his eyebrows.

"And you'll accomplish this how exactly?" He asked. He understood the reason for wanting camels, but to steal them without anyone noticing? That'd be hard to do. Bakura leaned back against the tree, folding his hands behind his head, successfully hiding his sneaky eyes from the Egyptian. He grinned cheekily while Malik gazed at him, waiting for him to continue. Sure, Malik had stolen many trinkets and thingamabobs on his quest to get back in his families good books, but he'd never think to steal something as trivial as a camel. Though, he supposed, they were desperate enough to. Suddenly, Bakura jumped up from where he'd been sitting and let out a bark of laughter, seeming to have realised something. Malik, once again, was completely confused by Bakuras' behaviour, finding it extremely difficult to keep up with the mans' mood swings.

"Uhhh….Where's the fire?" He questioned meekly. He wasn't sure why Bakura intimidated him the way he did. It could be the information given to him by Ryou the previous night, or the fact that the man was so spontaneous that he wasn't sure he could handle it if he suddenly decided to vent his anger out on him. Bakura turned to grin at the confused, wild-haired man with his hands behind his back. He looked a lot like a child trying not to get caught doing something wrong.

"Oh, nothing. I just need your help with something." For some odd reason, Malik didn't like the look on the thief's face at all.

/000\\\

"You have _got_ to be kidding me." He eyed the smelly looking man with disgust. The man crouching next to him only smirked back.

"I never kid mate. If you want to walk to Kul Elna that's fine with me, but I'd rather not. Just think about how pissed off your little brother will be, coming up short handed and all if we don't." Bakura's grin widened. Seeing the fearful look on the mans face made him believe he'd won this game; Malik was tossing up either choices. On one hand, he'd get to go home and forget about having to stay dirty for an excess amount of time. Not to mention the joy of not having to hang around the thief anymore. But, there was still the treasure. Although he might be driven into another dead end, he would still be known for someone who had made it to the city of the dead and lived to tell the tale. It would also keep Marik happy. The older Egyptian whined.

"But he probably smells like rat foetuses." He sounded like a two year old and Bakura had to resist slapping him.

"Stop acting like a pansy and hop to it, will you?" The thief grounded out through clenched teeth. However, Malik didn't take his warning tone into consideration and instead of jumping up like the Brit expected, he stayed exactly where he was. Growling, Bakura decided to use the only other method of persuasion available, threatening.

Reaching into his back pocket, the thief grabbed a swiz army knife and slowly unfolded it so the noise wouldn't attract the attention of the other male. He grabbed a large chunk of the Egyptians hair and yanked him down by it so that his head was inline with his own, said Egyptian making a sound of startlement in the process. Placing the knife against Maliks neck he leaned in so his lips were next to his ear.

"If you don't hurry up and do as I say, I may do something I'll regret but enjoy immensely." He whispered in the wild-haired mans earring studded ear, threateningly. Malik on the other hand, wasn't very fazed as he'd been in that particular position before. He grinned sheepishly, darting his eyes to his captive before chuckling nervously.

"Now now, there's no reason to resort to violence thief. I was just about to head off." He drummed his fingers against one another for a moment until Bakura loosened his hold on his hair, sliding the knife away. Once he was completely free, Malik bolted out of their hiding spot towards the man who supposedly smelt like rat foetuses.

"Don't you dare keep me there for long now Mr Touzoku!" He shouted, turning his head to give Bakura a smirk. Said man merely face-palmed himself at the other mans stupidity.

_Now, _he thought to himself, _to steal the camels. _He silently stood from his crouched position and tiptoed around the gate to the entrance. Careful to make sure Malik had the owner distracted, he carefully opened the latch and ran inside the stables. Relaxing a bit once inside, the thief walked calmly down the isle with his hands behind his back, eyeing all the camels inside.

_Hmm…what to choose, what to choose. _He studied each animal with care, hoping to pick four fast ones. He knew it didn't really matter anyway, he just felt like being an arsehole to Malik who had to occupy his time talking with the smelly owner out front. Chuckling to himself, Bakura quickly unlatched one of the stables containing two fine camels that he'd taken an interest in. Grabbing both of their reins, he softly pulled them forward so they weren't distressed and quietly made his way out into the isle where he tied them to a nearby post in order to attain two more.

Getting his hands on two more, the thief dragged all four to the entrance and carefully peeked outside to see if the coast was clear. The owner had his back to the stables and was talking to Malik about the price of his camels in Arabic. Malik didn't look very happy in the position he was in and spotted a flash of white peek out of the shed. Grinning that his job was almost over, the Egyptian kept debating with the man and how 'friggen expensive' his camels were. Giving the white-haired man a stare that simply said, 'hurry the fuck up!' he continued, trying to pull the owners attention as much as he could on himself which proved to be easy once he got the man angry enough.

While Malik was keeping the man preoccupied, Bakura slowly opened the stable door as wide as he could without creaking and carefully lead all four camels out, one by one. Malik was about to say goodbye to the smelly man when the door suddenly caught a gust of wind and swung closed with a _Bang! _Bakura cringed while the owner spun around to see what the problem was.

_Note to self: Close doors after you use them_, the thief chastised himself as the smelly man realised exactly what the problem was. His dull grey eyes widened at the sight of someone taking off with his camels.

"Hey! What do you think you're trying to do, thief?" The man shouted, throwing his arms in the air in panic. Bakura, seeing that escaping was pointless, decided to act innocently for once, adopting an almost 'Ryou' look.

"Who, me?" He questioned with wide eyes. Malik tilted his head in confusion at the Brits change in character, not understanding his motives. The innocent question didn't seem to impress the owner though, as he sneered at the white-haired man in fury.

"Yes, you moron," He jabbed a finger towards Bakura, "why do you feel that it's fine to just take whatever you like? These camels are the top of the range!" Bakura pursed his lips in thought; the idea of bribing the man might be a wonderful choice, given the situation his was in now. He gave the man a fake gentle smile.

"Oh bugger. I didn't realise that, my good man and I'm sorry to have troubled you. The reason why I need these camels is because my friend, who happens to be behind you, and I are travelling to Kul Elna, the city of the dead and we have no form of transportation." Malik blinked back his surprise at the thiefs acting skills and stepped forward to make his presence known. The owners eyes widened at the name, then narrowed again in suspicion. What was this man playing at?

"And that should interest me, how?" He asked, crossing his arms and tilted his head, signalling Bakura to continue. The thief smirked internally; the man would be too easy to please.

"Well, Sir. I'd like to put forth a proposition if you will. If you lend me and my friend here some camels, then we'll give you a fair share of the treasure we find." He spoke out confidently, British accent ringing strong. Malik glanced back and forth between the two men, seeing the indecisiveness in the mans grey eyes and the glee in Bakuras mahogany ones.

It was the owners turn to purse his lips as he weighed his options. When it seemed like an hour had gone past for Malik and Bakura, the man finally nodded.

"Alright, you have yourselves a deal," he stuck a pointer finger in the air, "However; I must ask that I accompany you on this quest to ensure your part of the bargain is followed through." He finished. Malik was silently fuming behind the smelly man they now had to drag along while Bakura shrugged.

"Seems fair I guess." He smirked when he saw the outraged look on the wild-haired mans face.

/000\\\

"I hate you!" Malik hissed at the older English twin in anger. They were currently making their way back to the meet up point so they could wait for Marik and Ryou to return. The camel owner was currently setting up the camels they were taking and packing some extra stuff. Bakura grinned at the enraged Egyptian.

"The feelings mutual, Bum." Malik continued to fume silently next to his while the thief chuckled.

They made their way back to the tree and sat down, both not bothering to glance at each other. Malik, seeming annoyed by the silence, decided to speak up.

"Quick question. What the hell does 'bum' mean besides the thing I'm sitting on?" He asked, gesturing to his butt. Bakura was extremely amused by this and let out a howl of laughter at the look on the blondes face. It was a dark, gravelly sound and seemed somewhat evil to Malik. Though, he supposed, he couldn't talk. His laugh was just as, if not more evil sounding than Bakuras. He glared despite this though, not really seeing the point in laughing as it was a pretty good question. For himself that is. Bakura, who by this stage was having trouble breathing, let out a loud gasp.

"Well, it's certainly good to see you two are getting along."

A voice suddenly called from above them. Bakura and Malik turned their heads to see Marik and Ryou standing in front of them, Ryou wearing a pleasant smile and Marik a somewhat irked cock of an eye-brow. Malik regarded his brothers' attire with a pensive gaze.

"Err, Marik. What on earth are you wearing?" This seemed to draw the now breathing correctly twins attention.

Bakura would describe the outfit as too formal, but exceptionally nice on the young Egyptian. He had on a light purple shirt, folded the same as his own with a deeper purple vest over the top. He had some simple, yet elegant black slacks on and a tie that matched. It seemed to bring out his extremely violet eyes and hung off him smartly. All in all, Bakura believed that Mariks choice of dress was way too impractical for what they were about to do, but he certainly looked _pretty. _Marik gave his older brother and questioning gaze.

"And what exactly is wrong with it?" He asked, placing his hands on his hips like a mother would when chastising her children for doing something naughty. Malik gave him an exasperated glance.

"Well, it's a little….impractical….isn't it?" He questioned softly. Marik scoffed at him, about to reply when the thief jumped in.

"Now, ladies. If we're done fighting over dresses, let's get going shall we?" Thankfully, it seemed to distract the squabbling siblings and they shut up, but not without shooting matching glares at Bakuras statement. Ryou exclaimed a gentle "oh!" and gestured to the items he had in his hands.

"I almost forgot! Here are some new clothes. We're probably going to need them where we're going." He said as he passed each article of clothing to the two older siblings. Malik checked his clothes out while Bakura merely folded them over his arm, otherwise forgotten. Walking slowly towards the stables, the thief glanced back at his companions.

"Come on, we need to make good time." Marik was about to question him about the problem of transportation when Malik shook his head mouthing, _you'll see when we get there,_ and grinned.

About an hour later, the group had assembled just outside the village, choosing their camels from the group the smelly man had chosen. Ryou was impressed with his brothers' efforts; even if he had the suspicious thought that he'd been caught trying to steal them. At least it taught him a lesson anyhow. The only problem was that his own twin didn't believe he knew how to use a weapon and so entrusted Marik and Malik with the entire armoury. He did, however, manage to sneak some of his knives and a rifle from Malik though, for protection sake. Said man was currently eying his camel with distaste.

"I hate camels…" He said, once again whiningly while taking a seat on its back. Ryou was already on his camel and smiled at the Egyptian.

"I think they're wonderful. Did you know they travel a lot faster than horses in the desert?" He patted his own animal softly. Malik gazed at him for a moment and shook his head at the weird mans calm nature and random knowledge.

Bakura pushed his own camel to the front of the group and turned around to speak.

"Ok, we've got until sunrise tomorrow to make it to Kul Elna or else I loose my bet. Now, come on!" He called to all four men. Marik grinned despite himself and quickly trotted after the thief. Malik, screwing his nose up at the smelly man while walking past him, went next. The owner followed, then Ryou soon after.

/000\\\

The sun was about to set over the ongoing desert, almost shrouding the group in darkness. Bakura continued to keep a watchful eye out, leading them up and down the large sand dunes. Everyone was asleep except the two Touzoku twins as it was important they stayed on course, both at the front, and at the back.

Bakura, not realising the change in travelling pattern, rubbed his eyes in an attempt to wake himself up more and suddenly felt a light weight being pressed against his shoulder. Looking to see the source of the peculiar feeling, he found Marik, softly leaning his peaceful head on him. Quirking an eye-brow at the blonde, the thief raised an arm to lightly push Marik upright. The sleeping Egyptians camel growled out and Bakura put a finger to his lips, gesturing for it to be quiet.

Ryou watched his brothers' innocent behaviour for once with a slight smile on his face, proud he didn't do something rude for once. A loud snore alerted him to the smelly man who had his mouth hanging open, fast asleep. It was unfortunate for Malik, having to ride beside him because he was startled awake from the obnoxious noise. Glaring at the offending man, the half awake blonde took out his camel whip. Slapping the annoying man across the face with it, he then turned to act like he was actually still asleep. Ryou chuckled at the look on the mans' face when he woke with a start, trying to figure out who had committed the act. Not being able to, he then shrugged to himself and fell back to sleep.

Other than these two little moments of interaction, the group had otherwise remained silent the rest of the way. It was almost sunrise when Bakura came to a halt near some tall canyons, turning to look toward the horizon. He rolled his eyes at the constant yelling from behind him coming from Malik and the owner.

"And you snore!"

"I do not snore!"

"All night you snored!"

"I have never snored!"

Ignoring the arguing men, Bakura turned to gaze at Marik with a tilt of his head.

"We're almost there." He said, gesturing towards the horizon with a wave of his hand. Marik gave him an straight look, squinting one of his eyes at the thief.

"Are you sure?" He questioned, giving Bakura a hard gaze. The thief huffed out an angry sigh.

"Yes, I'm pretty sure." He said, gesturing to the ground below them. The others followed his train of vision to see dozens of skeletons sticking out of the ground, bleached and eaten away. Some of them looked like they were trying to crawl up out of the desert floor. Maliks eyes widened at the sight.

"What the hell is all this?" He asked to no one in particular.

The smelly man shivered. "Other seekers of Kul Elna."

As Malik was about to question further, the group noticed the company of millionaires making their way towards them. They were followed by two dozen native diggers, while Joey led the group. Seeing Bakura atop his camel, the American grinned widely at his 'supposed' friend.

"G'd morning, my friend!" Bakura merely nodded at the coward, not seeing the point in small talk. The group of millionaires stopped right next to the smaller one and turned to gaze confusingly at the horizon in front of them.

"What the hell are we doing?" The long, blue-haired man asked. Joey turned to grin at him.

"Patience man, patience." The dirty blonde chastised. The raven haired man, otherwise known as Duke Devlin, fixed Bakura with an adventurous grin.

"First one to the city, Touzoku! Five hundred bucks!" He exclaimed. The thief ignored him and continued to stare out at the horizon in concentration. Marik and Malik shared a questioning look and follow Bakuras example.

The sun suddenly started to rise over the hilltops in the distance and the thief smirked in anticipation.

"Get ready." Marik, feeling excited all of a sudden, tilted his head to the older twin.

"For what?" He asked. Bakuras smirk widened into a grin and he turned his head to glance at the younger blonde.

"We're about to be shown the way."

Far off in front of them, a huge shape began to rise with the sun. The millionaires, the Ishtars and Ryou could only stare, amazed at the sight before them. Suddenly, the image shifted into a crumbled-like city, rising and falling with each mirage image, taking the form of the famous 'city of the dead'. Bakura turned to grin at his companions.

"That, my dear men, is Kul Elna."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: There we have it! Probably my longest chapter yet and I even snuck a bit of thiefshipping in for ya! I also found out I love making Bakura more British because it gives me a chance at the different type of slang. **

**R&R please! =D**

**~Grace**


	7. Chapter 5

**A/N: *Numerous pieces of garbage gets thrown at Grace* Alright guys! I totally deserve everything you throw at me for not updating for almost a year. I probably don't expect many of you to continue waiting for me, but alas, there are a few. Thank-you to all who waited for me and favourite/ alerted to this story! I love you! Now onto the real issues!**

**There are actually a few different reasons why I haven't updated, the first being my year 12 studying. I went through a big year in regards to schooling and the like, and was unfortunately unable to put together another chapter. During the end of year exams, my Grandmother almost passed away, making the exams incredibly hard to sit. I then proceeded to do absolutely crap on them, giving myself no direction for later study. However, now I have found a University course I am comfortable with, I'll be able to update again! Again, I'm sorry and hope you all continue to read...**

**Chapter 5**

**Info to know: Marik= Hikari Marik and Malik= Yami Marik**

**This is also set in post World War One, so for those of you confused with the time period know!**

* * *

><p><strong><span>Kul Elna<span>  
><strong>

The group of men stood silently for a few minutes while they took in the sight before them. The overturned pillars and large boulders were the only objects capable of making the city visible to an outsider and the tourists that hadn't travelled within the ruins before….Well; it was certainly a sight to behold.

While the other men preoccupied themselves by staring aimlessly towards the heaping mass of nothingness, Bakura and Joey cast smirks at each other. Now was the time to go.

Then they were off!

Both men whipped their camels and urged them to go faster than the person beside them, not daring at all to look back for fear they'd fall behind. Unbeknownst to them, their manly cries of 'HAH!' and 'YAH!' had alerted the others into movement, breaking them out of their trance.

Bakura and Joey remained in the lead, neck and neck for first place, the others following close behind. Suddenly, Bakura heard the sounds of hooves that weren't his own gallop up to him. Chancing a sideways glance at whoever it was, he was dumbfounded to find Marik atop his own camel, blonde hair flying in the wind and a content grin plastered on his mouth.

While Bakura was distracted however, Joey had managed to bring his whip around and began to thoroughly whack the white-haired thief with it, trying to knock him off his camel. The coward managed to hit Bakura twice with his whip before it was removed by said man, causing Joey to lose his balance and go plunging into the sand below. The others stampeded past the fallen man as Bakura and Marik made easy distance ahead of them.

The two leaders raced across the desert, wind whipping their faces as they chuckled to one another. Marik, having quite the time of his life, had found a sudden burst of speed from his camel and launched forward, passing the now stunned thief and leaving him for dust. He laughed heartily at Bakura and the white-haired male couldn't help but grin in his companion's direction as the blonde darted closer and closer towards the finish line.

"Marik! Slow down!" A voice suddenly called a little bit behind the thief. The older twin turned around to glare at whoever had said it when he noticed that Ryou was the culprit. The soft-spoken male was currently staring ahead of him in fear towards Marik, who was just making his way towards the stone ramp that surrounded the city….and wasn't stopping.

_Shit! _Bakura swore internally, trying to push his camel to go faster.

"Marik! Slow down, there's-," but he was unfortunately too late. Marik's camel had suddenly stopped in front of the run down wall and had caused the younger Egyptian to go careering over the front, making him land head first in the sand. "A wall…." The thief trailed off. Seeing Marik's prone form lying on the ground, not to mention the sound he made as he flew off, promptly caused Bakura to burst out laughing.

Behind him he heard the obnoxious cackling of Malik and the soft chuckle of his brother as he came to a halt near the now sand ridden male.

Pulling his face out of its itchy position, Marik turned his now crimson face towards the men who were currently laughing at him, glare in place.

"Have a good trip, Princess?" Bakura questioned, smirking like the bastard he was. Marik decided to play it cool with the thief. After all, it wasn't worth the man's satisfaction.

Pushing himself off his stomach and into a standing position, not making any eye contact with his obviously humoured companions.

"Hardy har, you're a real comedian. Please, stop it before my stomach explodes from laughing so hard," Marik said sarcastically, while fixing his now well battered shirt. He then turned his nose up at the air and carefully made his way further into the ruins, a laughing thief cackling behind him.

Just then, the other group arrived on their horses, Joey a little more worse for wear. Duke trotted past Bakura, scowl gracing his features. The thief gave him a shit-eating grin.

"You owe me cash Devlin." Then, just like Marik, Bakura stuck _his_ nose into the air and wandered off behind the ruffled Egyptian.

* * *

><p>The afternoon saw our adventurers in a strange ditch-like area. Marik, his ever present notebook that he'd managed to salvage together after being drenched with water a few days prior secure within his grip, instructed the other three men what they were supposed to do, much to the chagrin of a certain thief.<p>

The Touzoku brothers were in the process of digging up an ancient hole that opened into a deep underground tomb, while Malik was lazily polishing a strange mirror-like object with a cut off part of his top. Marik was lost in his excitement when his brother broke his reverie.

"Hey, Mar?" the taller man called to him.

"Yes, Malik?" Marik replied off handily, eyes not leaving his notes. Malik scrunched his nose up at the lack of enthusiasm in his brothers' voice, but decided to continue without care.

"What exactly are these things?" he asked, gesturing to the item in his hands. Marik, finally coming to his brothers' attention, snapped his notebook shut and proceeded to wander over to Maliks' side. Taking the domed object from the wild-haired blonde, Marik tilted the angle of the object so a beam of light from the sun reflected down into the darkened tomb, lighting the entrance.

"I'll show you once the others have finished with the tomb," he stated with a secretive grin, turning on his heels and going closer to the opening in order keep an eye on the process, leaving Malik to his own wonderings.

"Your brother is a strange man," a voice stated from behind the daydreaming Egyptian, successfully startling (not scaring) him from his musings. Malik turned around, only to come face to face with the camel owner obviously putting his two cents in.

Malik rolled his eyes at the man, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Wow, tell me something I don't know," he replied with sarcasm, then strutted away for fear he'd actually have to partake in converse with the man.

* * *

><p>While that little piece of interaction was taking places, Bakura and Ryou were catching up. When I say 'catching up' I really mean 'arguing'.<p>

"I'm curious, why the fuck did Mum and Dad send you to 'keep an eye on me' when Amane would be so more helpful to me." The thief's words stung, but Ryou was by far use to it now.

"They didn't, actually. I sent myself, and I'm quite capable of handling myself Bakura. As I've said before, I'm stronger than I look." The younger twin was quite sick of being told he was weak by people, especially his brother.

"Oh yeah? About as strong as a kitten…" Bakura rolled his eyes, "How is old Bastet going anyway?" he asked.

"Well this 'kitten' has claws that he isn't afraid to use, and your 'cat' is fine. Still hates anyone that goes near her, kinda reminds me of you a lot." Ryou stated wryly, shovelling a shovel full of dirt more harshly than before. "Why don't you come ho-"

"Don't start that again, Ryou!" Bakura interrupted, "I don't _want_ to go home. I'm perfectly fine where I am, and I don't need a stupid psychiatrist telling me otherwise!" The thief said, frustrated.

The twins meetings always resulted into this type of cat fight. Bakura would spill his annoyance to Ryou, Ryou would tell Bakura the reason, provoking some sort of negative reaction from the thief which would break out into a petty argument about what either of them hated about each other. All in all, both brothers couldn't see how alike they were besides their looks. Both were incredibly stubborn, straightforward and emitted a sense of danger about them. Bakura's was obvious through his expressions and actions while Ryou's was secretive.

While the twins were busy arguing about past times, they were oblivious to the increased pace they were digging and were close to falling through to the tomb underneath. Luckily for them, Marik was wondering over just as they were about to break through the chamber's roof.

"Er, guys?" He asked, warily.

"For the last time, I'm not a bloody psychiatrist!"

"Oh, but you certainly sound like one!"

"If you even took one moment out of your '_so called'_ busy schedule and be interested in your own family for a change, then you might actually know what I do!"

"Guys?" He tried again.

"Well, if you'd stop _pressuring _me then I might actually visit once in a while!"

"Oh, that's rich, coming from a thief like you! All you care about is bloody treasure!"

"How the fuck can you assume that? You haven't even seen me for years! I could be doing a world of good over here for all you know."

"Pfft, I'd believe that when I see it!"

"What am I doing now, huh, Ryou? I'm helping two goddamn Egyptian idiots in a place I don't particularly want to be. See, the keyword there was 'helping'."

"Oh, is _that _how you treat someone who's saved your life is it? Call them names? Well, if I were them I'd-"

"GUYS!" Marik finally shouted towards the twins.

"WHAT?" The Touzoku brothers shouted back. Then, realising what they'd just done, glared at one another.

"Will you save the stupid family problem for another time? If you haven't already noticed, your digging is going to cause a cave in at the rate you guys are going." Marik replied stiffly, pissed off at the 'idiotic' comment made by Bakura.

There was a pause while the two English brothers took a look around them. Realising Marik was right; they put down their shovels and climbed out of the hole. Ryou, who'd climbed out first, went to observe the mirrors Malik had polished to get his mind off his impossible brother.

As Bakura was making his way out of the hole, Marik extended his hand out to offer help. Bakura, thinking nothing of it, grabbed the tanned hand as leverage. Just as he was making it to the top, Marik let go of his hand, causing the thief to go plummeting back down the hole, landing heavily on his rear.

Turning to glare somewhat surprised at the man who dropped him, Bakura found Marik staring down at him, an evil smirk gracing his features.

"That," Marik began seething, "is for that 'idiot Egyptian' comment." He then dusted invisible dirt from his hands and walked away.

_Well, surprise surprise! The kid sure has a lot of spunk in him, _Bakura thought, rubbing his slightly sore bum softly. _Might be worth it to give him what I found. I won't use it anyway…_

It was three by the time they'd made the gap in the ground safe enough to climb down, and the small group was taking a rest from the heat. The eldest of the Touzoku twins stepped out from his tent with an object in his hands. Marik, who was currently distracted with a book he'd gotten from the market, didn't hear the thief making his way over to him.

"Ey, Ishtar!" he shouted, thoroughly startling the Egyptian. Bakura chuckled while the flustered man glared in his general direction.

"Yes, you annoying thing?" Marik eyed the Touzoku warily. He looked like he was hiding something.

Bakura suddenly thrust something into his hands and walked away. Curious as to what the object was more so than why it was handed to him, Marik looked down to his hands, eyes widening when he realised what exactly it was that he was holding.

It was a scroll, well, not an actual scroll. It was actually a small tool kit when it was unfolded. Specially designed for excavating, the tool kit came equipped with small brushes, chipping tools and hammers. Basically, it was an archaeologist dream kit.

Glancing around to where the thief disappeared, Marik found him with a rope between his legs above the hole, smirking towards him. Before Marik got a change to say something, thanking him somehow, the thief had already jumped down into the tomb below.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Well there we go! It's a little short, but I was _really_ stressing with it. I've had it partically made for a while now. R&R! =)**

**~Grace**


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